Seattle Nights
by PuzzlingApprentice
Summary: The news of a serial killer in Seattle has everyone unsettled. Bella walked on the street people have been murdered on everyday to get to work. She never imagined that she'd end up trying to intervene on a very red eyed vampire's hunt. (Jasper/Bella) ADOPTED BY KATANDJASPER
1. Prologue

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Warning: This story will contain foul language, violence, and smut— not in every chapter, but it will definitely come up eventually. Mature audiences only, hence the rated M. You've been warned, so don't go flaming me if you read something you don't like! … Silly flamers. Haha, enjoy!

Prologue

_We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news: _

_Terrifying the city of Seattle, Washington, a serial killer seems to be on the loose. The sixth killing in the short span of thirty days leaves citizens wondering what may be to come. The only warning__—__ the most important warning_—_ we can give is not to go out alone. There is nothing connecting the victims but the murder itself. The victims range in age, gender, and social status. You must be more vigilant than ever. Keep your cell phone charged and pepper spray on you at all times. You must be even more cautious than usual until this monster is caught._

_Angela Novazcek, Ryan Oswald, Lila Montgomery, Isaac Walsh, Allen Smith, and now Dianna Atkins have suffered this tragedy and their families are left with nothing but to mourn their deaths. _

_No witnesses have yet to come forward and so there is no sketch that we can show of this murderer. However, we must stress not to go out alone at night under any circumstances. The police are working hard to put together the evidence in order to bring this monster to justice. Unfortunately, any forensic evidence has been burned away in the fire leaving law enforcement stumped. _

_However, we are not giving up hope. He is bound to slip up and as we speak, new security cameras are being installed for your safety. _

_Do not forget; do not go outside at night_— _especially alone, charge your cell phone, stock up on pepper spray, and lock your doors. Never let anyone in to you home who you do not trust with your life. _

_If you have any information on this case or who the criminal is, please call in to the anonymous tip line. You will not be revealed to the public and you may be saving the lives of many. The number is…. _

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**A/N: Please review! I know you don't know much yet, but tell me what you think anyway. Any predictions?**

*****Important: I have 10 chapters of this done and do not plan on finishing it. I plan to post them all because I put a lot of work in to it but have lost my muse. This is up for adoption once the final written chapter by me is up!**


	2. Chapter One

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter One

Upon returning home from the office, I walked in to my small apartment and placed most of my belongings on the nearby counter top in my kitchen. While pulling out all of the necessary ingredients I would need in order to make a decent meal, I checked my cell and saw that I had a message from Jayson.

_Hey babe. Haven't talked to you in a while, I miss you. Want to get together for a movie at my apartment tomorrow night?_

I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for the dick that Ashlyn had set me up with three weeks ago. One date, and suddenly he has the right to call me 'babe'? I sighed and tossed the technology on the sofa in the living room before returning to the task at hand— dinner. I cracked a few eggs in a pan, quickly whipping up my omelet before I completely collapsed from exhaustion. My work days were long at the office, and while the pay was decent, the job was boring. I still wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with my life, but had decided to use this as a stepping stone.

Either way, I needed the money. There was no way I was moving back the Forks to live off of Charlie. I had to much pride for that. Not to mention, despite the fact that the gaping wound that used to open in my chest at the mere thought of the Cullens had healed, that didn't mean I wanted to deal with all the memories. Or the judging eyes of the folks who had watched me fall apart when they left and would surely hound me about how I was making off. I looked down and noticed that while my thoughts had been on my former life, my finger tips had made their way to tracing the crescent shaped scar on my forearm; my only true reminder.

Finally heading to the living room, I settled on the couch with my breakfast-dinner. My portion of eggs was probably enough for three; not to mention my two slices of toast and giant glass of orange juice. I shrugged to myself— this was comfort food at its best; that is, when you don't feel up to making fried chicken and mashed potatoes. At last, I steeled myself for turning on the television— knowing what would likely be shown on the screen. Did I really want to see that type of gore while I was trying to enjoy my dinner?

The answer: no. I really didn't. But curiosity killed the cat, and it would likely slaughter my appetite along with it.

I grabbed for the remote and clicked the small button labeled 'on.' I was tempted to cover my eyes as I waited to the outdated television to kick itself on. The image on the screen showed the scene of the newest crime. A dumpster had been set aflame with the newest victim's corpse within its lodgings, exactly the same as the previous murders. Only this one had been but two blocks away from my apartment; this crime scene was on a road that I walked twice a day on my way to and from work.

I shuddered at the thought of just how close this one was. For the first time since Charlie had called me on Monday, I was thankful for his fatherly demand that I return home this weekend; thankful for his overprotective nature. I only had to go to work tomorrow before I could leave and spend Saturday and Sunday away from the nightmare that was brewing in the city that I now called home.

I couldn't help but to stiffen as I contemplated the fact that tomorrow morning I would be walking past a place that a girl had just died.

_Dianna Atkins._

The name rattled around my head as a picture of the girl appeared next to the news broadcaster. She looked… for lack of a better word, tired. Her eyes seemed dead despite the fact that there was a smile on her face. Her hair looked dry and her skin looked stiff. The dark circles around her eyes made her appear sickly.

A frown formed on my face. The announcer commented that she was only twenty-seven, only four years older than my twenty-three. But that couldn't be right; this woman had to be in her early forties, at least. An appalling thought occurred to me that perhaps this killer had targeted a woman who really was sick, maybe with cancer or something similarly as aging. The news then flashed back to the crime scene, where the officers were looking intensely at the charred dumpster.

I silently thanked god that Charlie had remained a small town chief of police, because I never would want him anywhere near what was going on here. I was starting to think he was right, big cities were nothing but trouble.

I grumbled slightly to myself, scrubbing a hand down my tired face. Standing up jerkily, I glanced at the clock and saw the ungodly hour. I groaned— it was one in the morning. I had been stopped by my boss on my way out the door; he had been trying to convince me to accept a ride home. I had refused, of course. I loved the fresh air when I was walking home, despite the known danger that had been lurking for weeks. All his interference had insured was my presence on the streets even later at night than usual. My stomach did an uncomfortable flip-flop as I considered the fact that I could have been walking by the alley where Dianna Atkins had been killed at the time of the incident.

_That could have been me._

I was shaking slightly as I gathered up my dirty plate and cup, having downed the food while I was engrossed in the news. Balancing the cup on the plate, I used my free hand to turn off the TV before continuing on to the kitchen. Suddenly filled with nervous energy, I dropped the dishes in the sink before practically sprinting to the door. I double checked the lock before adjusting the deadbolt. I spied out the peephole and saw nothing but the empty hallway.

Sighing at my erratic temperament, I walked back to the kitchen and considered just getting a glass of water and going to bed. I took a deep breath as I realized that would never happen. Instead, I quickly hand washed all of my dirty dishes that had accumulated thus far and put them away. Glancing around, I looked for something else to do in order to keep my hands busy. Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I started fidgeting with all the books on my shelves in the living room. When I realized that there was nothing else to straighten up, I internally cursed myself for my tidy nature. Giving in to defeat, I decided to take a shower before doing my best to get some sleep— hoping that maybe the hot water would relax my twitching muscles.

I stripped on my way towards my bedroom, dropping the used clothing in my hamper before grabbing my towel off the edge of my closet door. I would never get used be being able to leave the contents of my bag of toiletries scattered around the bathroom. I had never realized _how much_ I would miss having my own bathroom.

As the hot water and billowing steam surrounded me, I tried to force my muscles to relax one by one— starting with my fingers, then my arms, then my shoulders, and so on. But it was not working. I scrubbed my skin roughly, becoming frustrated at my own skittishness. Eventually, I gave up on the idea of a 'relaxing' shower, because mine seemed to have morphed in to a 'how much skin can Bella scrape off with a loofah before she bleeds' shower. When I finally climbed out, I wondered if I would be condemned to a long sleeved shirt tomorrow or if the red marks would disappear by then.

Annoyed with myself because it was supposed to be sunny tomorrow and I would probably sweat in a long sleeved shirt, I dressed and plopped down in the center of my queen sized bed. I glanced at the clock and groaned; I had five hours until I had to be awake in the morning.

Turning off my bedside light, I glared at my ceiling. I tossed the blankets off my legs and then replaced them, repeating the action over and over because I could _not _get comfortable. I finally ended up with one leg underneath and one leg hanging out, both arms covering my face. By that time, I had begun cursing everything. Fuck the dishes for needing washing, fuck my skin for needing scrubbing, and fuck the News for attracting my attention. I was going to be miserable tomorrow and the fact that I was practically counting the minutes until I would fall asleep was only winding me up more.

I was so angry because I was freaking myself out over nothing. Whatever was going on here in Seattle was obviously not under my control. If 'whoever it was' was going to make me their next victim, then so be it. There would be nothing I could do about it but kick, scream, and try to claw out a few eyes. I would do my best to try and splatter their blood everywhere so that the fire that would be set couldn't wipe away every last bit of 'forensic evidence' and so that the killer could be caught.

I started to frown in to my arms which were still shielding my eyes. This line of thinking was doing nothing to calm me down. I took a deep breath and pushed it from my lungs before going back to the method that Charlie had taught me when I was little in Forks and could not sleep.

_100, 99, 98, 97, 96…_

I counted backwards from one hundred slowly, not allowing myself to remain tense and instead going back to relaxing each muscle one by one.

_95, 94, 93, 92…_

While it may have been a failed attempt in the shower, it proved much more successful when I could relax my legs and back without having to worry about falling down.

_91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86…._

Soon enough the eighties were turning to the seventies, then the seventies in to the sixties, until finally, the sixties turned in to darkness. Sleep enveloped me, pulling me in deeply and dragging me in to dreams thankfully clear of burning dumpsters and mysterious murderers.

The morning, however, came quickly. It seemed that as soon as my eyes had closed, they were slamming open to my alarm clock blaring. I glared at the ceiling through red rimmed eyes as one arm managed to make its way over and forcibly silence the annoying sound. My head was throbbing due to lack of sleep as I tried to stand and make my way over to my wardrobe. I stumbled slightly and had to catch myself on the wall; I stayed there for a moment, gaining my bearings before even trying to continue on with my morning.

A large yawn broke the silence of my room, but soon enough I had made my way to the kitchen and had the coffee brewing. When it was finally done, I poured a large mug full and sat with it at the table. I didn't dare water down the precious caffeine with the likes of cream or sugar, knowing that this would be my lifeline throughout the day.

One day. That's all this was. One day and I could finally visit home for the first time in three and a half months. One day and I could finally get a good night's sleep without having to wonder if some masked murderer was going to bust through my door and kill me in my sleep. One day, and I could finally escape this nightmare that was forming around me.

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**A/N: Please review!**

**If you're interested in adopting this after the first ten chapters, feel free to private message me :)**


	3. Chapter Two

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Two

The fifteen minute walk to work was nerve-racking. Travel mug in hand and messenger bag over my shoulder, I had set out with faux confidence that I could make it there with no incidents. Eye drops had, for the most part, cleared my eyes of their red rims, a little concealer took care of the dark circles, and twice the amount of recommended pain relievers helped take care of the head ache. I had been walking swiftly down the sidewalk, happy to feel the sun on my bare arms— the redness had faded and I was thankful for my short sleeves. However, the positive atmosphere didn't last long, and came down with a crash.

I was at that road. I had to cross the street to the opposite side that I usually walk on in order to get out of the way of the policemen that were still manning the crime scene. The yellow tape closing off the area sent chills down my spine. I always walked right by that alley. How many times had I looked down there to make sure it was truly as empty as its desolate atmosphere suggested? How many times had I felt a trickle of fear down my spine when I heard a noise that I couldn't explain away? How many times had I been such an easy target for someone to attack without even realizing it?

I shivered and quickened my pace, not wanting to let my mind wonder back to Dianna Atkins and the fact that it could have been me in here place.

When I finally reached the office, I made my way to my cubical and plopped down in my office chair. Running a hand over my face, I let out a deep sigh. If nothing else, I was pretty sure that no one would be killing me while I was in my crowded workplace. Taking a deep breath, I allowed all of the fear and stress to leave me as I exhaled. Making a decision, I allowed myself to be grateful that it hadn't been me to be killed but nothing else. I was sick of being anxious— I had spent too much time filled with that emotion. No, I refused to be scared.

However, that did not mean that I was willing to be stupid. I would not walk around at night just for the thrill of it, but I also wasn't going to be sprinting my way down the street for safety. I would be cautious, but not frightened. Now that I had it out of my system, I was pretty sure that I could follow through with my decision.

Finally, I pulled my eyelids open only to notice Ashlyn standing directly in front of me; a worried expression on her face.

"Good morning, Bella." She smiled through her concern, trying to look enthusiastic about starting another long work day. "Hey," she said suddenly, apparently noticing my spaced out appearance. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, just didn't get much sleep last night." My statement was punctuated by a yawn. As she laughed at me lightly, I noticed that my travel mug was already empty of my caffeinated goodness. I groaned quietly and began to stand up, fully intent on having my third cup of coffee that day, when a light hand on my shoulder pushed me back in to my seat.

"Don't worry about it; I was heading in that direction anyway." Ashlyn grabbed my mug and made off toward the break room for my refill.

"Will you marry me?" I called after her jokingly, and her resounding laugh made me smile.

"I'm not so sure that Ron would approve." She chuckled, referring to her fiancé when she had returned.

I snorted and waved my hand at her dismissively in a way of saying that he didn't matter before gratefully accepting the coffee.

"So what kept you up last night?" She asked quietly, in a way that showed that she wouldn't pry for information if I were to turn her away.

"I watched the news while I was eating dinner, it kind of got me all wound up." I paused to sigh. "I just couldn't force my body to relax."

She nodded; Ashlyn knew what roads I took to and from work and the fresh concern blooming in her eyes told me that she was well aware of the newest murder.

"So, uh, did you want to grab a bite to eat with me tonight? I could drive you home afterwards." She offered.

"Real subtle," I commented, and we both laughed. She knew that I would never ask her for a ride when I had two fully functional legs, not to mention my truck which resided in the parking garage of my apartment. Actually, it probably would not be a bad idea to start driving to work with what had been going on. "Honestly, I would take you up on that, but tonight I think I am just going to go home and crawl in bed before anything can even try to stop me."

She smiled softly, "Well, would you like to get together for an early breakfast tomorrow morning? I know you have to leave for your father's place around noon— I could be there at nine?"

It was kind of nice having someone looking out for me. Ashlyn and I had met our last year at college and it was just luck that the same firm had picked us up. I was glad though, it's not often that you make truly good friends. In fact, I only had her and one other. I grinned at her and decided to take her up on that offer.

She smiled fiercely before wishing me a great day and heading off to her cubby to get back to work. I took a big gulp of my coffee before booting up my computer and taking a look at the large stack of invoices that I had to go through and put in to the computer. I sighed and finally began. It wasn't hard work, though it was extremely tedious. Thirteen papers in, two hours had passed and my eyes were beginning to twitch due to staring at the screen so intensely for that duration of time. Glancing at the clock in the bottom right corner of my screen, I noticed that it was finally lunch time.

I stood up slowly, feeling as I popped and stretched pleasantly. Making my way over to Ashlyn's cubical I waved at my few acquaintances and friends and got smiles and nods in return. Finally I reached her and asked if she wanted to go out for lunch with me. She was out of her office chair before the inquiry had fully left my mouth, causing a light laugh to escape the confines of my lips.

"Where did you want to go?" She asked as we made our way out of the doors leading to the street. The sun was hidden behind clouds but it wasn't raining nor was it even the least bit cold.

"Did you want to walk down the street to that Chinese restaurant?" I suggested; it wasn't on a road where anyone had recently been incinerated so that was a plus.

She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, most likely because my suggestion included walking. She was even more skittish than me when not only did she have the luxury of not having to pass the newest scene in the morning— she even lived with a big, strong man to protect her. I had to bite back by laugh at how obviously disturbed she was at the mere thought of walking on the street alone. I was about to give in and ask if she would drive us to the Mexican place ten minutes away when she finally seemed to regain control of herself and nodded.

The walk to the restaurant was unbelievably short, only two blocks. After a moment Ashlyn became herself again and began talking animatedly about her plans for the weekend while I just smiled and nodded along. If nothing else, I was glad that she was happy and excitedly planning her wedding.

Suddenly, I stiffened and felt an ice cold chill run the course of my spine. My eyes narrowed, my instincts telling me that I was being watched. I did my best to keep up with the conversation as my eyes trailed both sides of the streets before nonchalantly glancing over my shoulder. Nothing stuck out to me but the feeling didn't dwindle. Though I knew that something wasn't right, that something was going on, I didn't tell Ashlyn of my feelings. She was already acting jumpy and I could only imagine what this information would do to her demeanor. I heard her laugh besides me, and guessing that she had made a joke I joined in.

Finally, when we were about three minutes from reaching our destination the feeling ebbed. I took a deep breath to steady myself and realized that I must have been holding it for a good amount of time while I had had the feeling of being stalked. I was thankful that whatever it was, it had stopped.

We chatted our way through the meal; mostly the conversation centered on Ashlyn's life and everything that had been going on with her. She was in no way self centered, instead she seemed to realize that I was in no mood to be leading a conversation and she was taking the pressure off me—for which I was eternally grateful. I did my best to help her out by asking the appropriate questions at the appropriate times in order to keep the conversation moving.

However, this time when my back went ramrod straight, my dear friend noticed.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Both confusion and curiosity colored her features.

I did my best to force my back to relax, though it was only on the surface. I made up some lame excuse about suddenly remembering that I had forgotten to finish something at work. I waited for her to suck herself back in to the conversation before I allowed my eyes to scan the premises, searching for the cause of my discomfort. When I again came up with nothing, I felt my eyebrows crease with a frown and did my best to turn my attention back to my friend, though all of my senses were trained on my surroundings. They may have been dull human senses, but they were better than nothing.

The feeling didn't leave until we exited the restaurant, but I was immensely relieved when I noticed that it hadn't followed me back on to the streets. We returned back to the office a short while later, our stomachs contents and our minds refreshed. Well, hers was anyway. Mine was even more cluttered due to trying to figure out the strange sensation of being watched while we were out.

Somehow, I managed to get the rest of the way through my work and ended up finishing my day around 6:30 that evening. After saying a quick goodbye to Ashlyn and thankfully dodging my boss before he could once again try to force me in to a ride home, I was out the door and making quick progress towards arriving home at my apartment.

About halfway there, I heard a strange noise coming from the direction I was walking. Squinting down the darkening road, I noticed that on the side opposite of that I was walking on there were two figures. One was speed walking down the road, looking frantically over his shoulder in a way that made obvious the fact that he believed that the second figure was following him. The second figure, however, was what really caught my attention. He didn't seem to be making much of an effort to be gaining on the object of his prey, simply matching the other's speed. Still, that wasn't what caught my attention. It was the _way _he was walking. The simple grace of the movement would be unattainable to anything human.

_Shit,_ I thought as I dashed across the road towards the soon-to-be victim. I knew I was not thinking rationally, but I wasn't going to stand by and let some innocent stranger be killed. I grabbed his arm and pushed him down the nearest alley. I pointed for him to run while I planned to wait for the predator. I noticed that he didn't even begin to object, and a small part of me wondered what kind of man would leave someone like me, a young girl, to fight off what I knew was coming. However, before he made it anywhere, the vampire was upon us.

I stepped in front of the man and again he made to run. Thankfully, he made it out of the alley and continued on without a scratch on him. Suddenly, though, I felt myself being forcefully shoved against the wall of the alleyway.

Finally I forced my eyes defiantly up to those of my captor.

My jaw dropped at the vibrant red eyes staring back.

Before I could even consider the repercussions of my actions my palm came up and slapped him across the face as hard as I could manage without shattering any bones.

"Jasper, you ass!"

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**A/N: Please review! Were you expecting that? Did you like her reaction? Let me know, s'il vous plait!**


	4. Chapter Three

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Three

My heart rate was slowly falling as the adrenalin left my system. My arm lay limply at my side and I flexed my hand to make sure it was still functional. It throbbed slightly, but I could tell it wasn't broken. I couldn't help but to think sadly back to Jake— well, this wasn't the first time I had hit a supernatural being.

"Is there a reason you're terrorizing the city?" I hissed. Suddenly it dawned on me— if Jasper was here, were all the Cullens? I could feel my stomach drop, Edward had promised I would never have to see him again and it was a promise I had been hoping he'd keep. It would be too painful to see them all and know that they did not miss me at all.

I finally pulled myself back together enough to look up at him. I hadn't seen a vampire in years and the strength of Jasper's beauty hit me harder than Edwards ever had. I shook my head slightly to clear it and noticed he was smirking at me slightly, causing me to roll my eyes at him.

"Bella, you need to leave Seattle. It's not safe for ya here." He said stiffly.

I couldn't help it. I snorted at him in a rather unladylike manner. "Since when do the Cullens care about my safety? Edward told me I would never have to see any of you again, but what? You guys show up and start killing people in the city that I live in?" Towards the end my voice had turned hard and cold, no emotions showing through. I had learned a long time again how to build this specific mask and had the skill mastered.

He was frowning at me, and quite frankly, I didn't give a shit.

"The Cullens aren't here; I left their coven years ago."

"So you've been killing that many people on your own?" My voice faltered slightly and I cleared my throat.

"No, I only got here two days ago. Actually, none of those were my victims." I realized that as he was talking he had leaned forward and was running his nose along my jaw. The rational part of my mind reminded me that his red eyes meant that he was drinking human blood now and that I had interrupted his hunt— which meant that he was probably very thirsty and I was the closest meal. I also remembered that his eyes had been a vibrant red, not the black that I had come to associate with their thirst, which was odd. The rest of my mind, however, was enjoying the gentle touch and the flames it seemed to elicit. The chills that had run down my back earlier with fear had been replaced with those of pleasure.

"You smell delicious, Bella; like vanilla coffee beans." His voice had grown husky and I noticed the undercurrents of a southern accent which I had never heard before. Not knowing how to respond, we stood there for a few moments; me leaning against the wall, Jasper leaning against me with his face buried in my neck.

"If you're planning on draining me, can we get it over with? I've had a long day." I grumbled. Currently, I couldn't find it in me to care about the strange circumstances. Between hardly getting any sleep last night and my energy crash that always comes after my caffeine wears off I was exhausted.

I felt him smirk against my skin before he drew back to look down at me. "Darlin', you have the worst sense of self preservation I have ever seen." He chuckled and I just yawned as he stepped away from me. Stretching my arms above my head, I turned to leave the alley and finally return home.

"Where do ya live?" He asked from beside me, apparently I was still used to the odd grace and silence with which vampires walked because I didn't even jump at the sudden voice next to me.

"Down the street," I answered, knowing that if I didn't he could just follow me there anyway. I paused and turned to him suddenly, "What are you doing in Seattle, anyway?" I asked skeptically.

He just stared down at me from his impressive height, and I could tell that he wasn't going to answer me here.

"Fine," I sighed, "Follow me."

I had no idea what had possessed me to invite him to my apartment, but I wanted answers. What was going on here that was so dangerous? I was just about positive that it was a vampires doing, in fact I think a small piece of me had known that as soon as I'd heard about the first killing. But what made it specifically dangerous to _me_?

As we walked I felt his arm wind itself around my waist protectively. It felt oddly natural, as if he had done it tons of times despite the fact that he was the one member of the Cullens, or former member rather, that I had never spent any time with outside the customary 'hello' and 'goodbye.' I leaned in to him slightly without thinking and he in turn gave me a light, comforting squeeze. I wrote it off to my exhaustion.

Minutes later we were standing outside the door to my apartment so I took out the keys and let us in. He followed me inside and sat down when I motioned to the couch in my living room. I made a quick stop in my kitchen to find something to eat, remembering with slight annoyance that I hadn't gone grocery shopping in over a week so I probably wouldn't find much. Standing in front of my open fridge, I found a container of yogurt and decided that it would do for now. I returned to where I had left Jasper to find him lounging comfortably, seemingly without a care in the world. But only _seemingly_, because I could see in the set of his shoulders and the purse of his lips that he was filled with tension.

I sighed and kicked off my shoes before turning and sitting Indian style on the end opposite Jasper, facing him. He slowly opened his eyes and angled himself slightly towards me.

"So," I paused, trying to think of something to say to this vampire whom I hadn't seen in five years. I thought back to him saying that he was no longer with the Cullens and another thought jumped in to my head. "Why did you leave the Cullens?" For some reason, I felt as though it were more than just his eye color.

"It was time," he said simply. "I had always known that it wasn't permanent, and I had no plans of stickin' to that diet for the rest of my existence."

"What about Alice?" I whispered, wondering how she had taken that. I remembered the last time I saw her, when Edward had taken me in to the forest and we had met her there. Together they had told me about how little my existence had affected them and how none of them would miss me. I hadn't mattered to them then and I didn't matter to them now. My stomach rolled uncomfortably and I put the yogurt aside, having lost my appetite. If Alice was somewhere waiting for Jasper, then he could go. I didn't want anything to do with them.

He seemed to notice the change in my mood and reached out to sweep away some of the hair that I had allowed to fall in front of my eyes. I locked my jaw to keep from leaning in to the comforting touch; I swear to god that something is wrong with me.

"Alice and I are no longer together." He had said her name almost like a curse.

"I thought you two were mates?" I asked confusion and curiosity coloring my facial features.

"The Cullens thought so, too." He smiled amusedly. "Alice was tryin' to make me believe it as well, but I had known from the beginning that we were not meant for each other. I was gettin' sick of Alice using her visions to corrupt the future in to what she wanted it to be. She was just a stepping stone to get me going in the direction of finding my actual mate and it was time to move on."

"How did you know that she would lead you to your mate?" I asked; my curiosity of this man who I hardly knew growing.

"Friends," He shrugged nonchalantly, giving nothing else away. I sighed and moved on to another question.

"Why are you in Seattle?"

"I could feel in your emotions that you weren't surprised to see a vampire, so I know that you could tell that those killings weren't random."

"I had my suspicions," I agreed.

"Not the best idea to interrupt a thirsty vampire's hunt." He commented.

I nodded, "I wasn't going to let an innocent man be killed when there was something I could do to stop it."

"So much loyalty to someone you had never even met?" He seemed surprised.

"No, not really." He raised an eyebrow at me. "I wasn't trying to get myself killed or anything, the adrenaline just went to my head." I yawned again.

He made a small snorting noise and rolled his eyes at me. "You should be more cautious. You may not have wanted to get killed, but sometimes it's hard for even the most experienced vampire to stop mid-hunt."

"Did you stop so easily because you weren't that thirsty?" I asked, recalling his eye color.

"Something like that," He supplied, frowning.

I shrugged, "If I made you lose your appetite, while slightly offended, I think I'll get over it."

He smirked at me before commenting thoughtfully, "I'm not sure that's it."

"Don't you feel bad about killing innocent people?" I asked quietly, while I was curious I wasn't sure I could judge him for choosing his natural diet. Circle of life or something like that, right? Yup, I was way too tired.

"What makes you so sure he was innocent?"

"That's not an answer," I muttered, but I quickly recalled the events of the night. An honest, innocent, decent man would not have left a girl to fight his battle. He would not have run to save himself, but to help others. Or, at the very least, a good man would not have left me alone and instead would have tried to force me to run with him. Instead that man left me to a beast. It was just dumb luck that I knew said beast and managed to come out alive. I should be dead, and it would have been all his fault. What a jackass.

When he didn't elaborate I again realized how tired I was. I had only gotten about three hours of sleep the night before and it was already eleven. I _needed_ sleep. But before I could make myself stand up, a question popped in to my mind that I couldn't leave until after I rested.

"Who killed all those people?"

Jasper froze, his eyes flashing with an emotion that I couldn't define. His voice was hard and rough as he answered me, "Someone is tryin' to build a newborn army."

An _army_? I would have to ask about that when I was less incoherent due to sleep deprivation, though somehow the idea felt familiar.

"Is that why you came— to stop them?"

A frown turned the corners of his lips and he honestly did not seem to have an answer to that. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a quiet sigh. "I'm not sure why we're here, Darlin'."

_We_?

"Did you just decide to take a little vacation to Seattle?" I questioned, not sure what he had meant by his response.

He seemed like he was about to explain something when suddenly he snapped his jaw shut and looked me in the eyes. "Not quite, but I'll explain that another time; I can see the circles under your eyes. You need to go to sleep." Well, I couldn't argue with that.

"Agreed," I said on a yawn while standing up, intent on making my way to my bedroom before I turned around. "When will I see you again?" I assumed that he would leave to continue his hunt as soon as I was out of sight.

"I'm gonna stay here tonight, Darlin'. I don't want anyone coming in here and tryin' to snack on ya while you're catching up on sleep." He said it with more authority than I had ever heard before and it left no room for disagreement. I just shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

After a nice hot shower I jumped in to some yoga pants and a ratty old shirt that was much too large for me. There was nothing more comfortable. I finally lay down, expecting to pass out as soon as my body made contact with the mattress but unfortunately, that did not happen. As soon as there were no more distractions my mind was left reeling with everything that had happened throughout the course of the day. I now knew who, or rather what, was behind the murders, I had run it to Jasper, and I had gotten absolutely no information out of him— though that was mostly my fault for being so sleep deprived. On top of all that, there was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, so faint that I almost couldn't decipher the sensation. A tugging, perhaps?

I started tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable before deciding that it was a lost cause and standing from my bed. Walking out to the living room, I found Jasper where I had left him except with a book in his hands— he must have borrowed one from my bookshelf. I retook my place on the couch as he looked up at me.

"Is it okay if I turn on the TV?" I asked, nodding to the book in his hands after retrieving the remote from the coffee table.

"It's your apartment, Darlin'. Couldn't sleep?"

I nodded my head and sighed as the television booted itself up. The news was on and I put the volume down as low as possible but so that I could still hear it. Not long afterwards, I felt my eyes getting heavy and before I could force myself up and into my bedroom, darkness surrounded me. I felt my body slump slightly as all muscle control failed. My last thought was that there was nothing more comfortable than where I was laying and the tingling sensation on my cheek radiating off of whatever had become my makeshift pillow.

But I just wrote that off to the exhaustion.

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**A/N: So, I had to rewrite this about six times and I'm still not sure if I like how it turned out. Review and tell me what you think?**


	5. Chapter Four

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Four

(Jasper's Point of View)

I looked down at Bella's sleeping form; somehow she had managed to find a pillow in the form of my shoulder and for some reason I had allowed it. Turning my attention back to the book in my hands, I realized that my eyes refused to digest the words on the page when there was this beautiful human girl right next to me.

Shifting slightly, I maneuvered her so that her head was instead on my chest and my arm was free to lie along her side. Her heat enveloped me in a warm embrace and I was shock by how simply _good_ it felt. Never had I experienced a feeling even close. Isabella had changed, that much was obvious. In the past five years she had developed exponentially and it suited her. Not only had she gained an inch or two of height, her body had taken on a sensual hourglass shape that frankly left me surprised that she was still left to live alone in her apartment.

Not to mention her actions. Very few humans would be brave enough to try and save another member of their race from death, or slap a thirsty vampire across the face. I don't think that most humans would be insane enough either, let alone become a little aroused by it. I could still feel a slight tingling on my cheek from where her palm had made contact and the perfume of her excitement on my nose. Despite the lust, I knew that if it had been anyone else to disrespect me so, they would have been dead on the spot.

That thought left me reeling for two reasons. The first one: I did not like the idea of anyone or anything harming Isabella— not even myself. That led to the second reason: why did this insignificant girl's life suddenly matter to me at all? I had hardly known her when she had been with Edward and now I couldn't seem to pull myself away. It had been torture walking back to her apartment next to her and being able to offer little more than a protective arm around her waist. The sounds that she was clueless to, however, had been rattling around my head. The distant sound of vampire limbs being torn from their torsos and the anguished cries of the newborns had not only proven to me how close the danger was to this vulnerable girl, but also how close Peter and Charlotte were. I could only hope that they had taken out a good few after we had gotten them separated.

Even now, though, I was allowing her to be in such close contact with me— something that I allowed of very few. I tried to convince myself that the reason I had moved her from my shoulder to my chest was to prevent a stiff neck that would surely come from the awkward position, but I recognized my lies for what they were. Instead, I wrote it off to my selfishness. I was simply unwilling to give up not only her alluring warmth, but her tempting scent.

Only, her scent was not tempting in the same way as the blood of other humans.

I felt a small vibration against my leg and fished my cell from the pocket of my jeans.

"Havin' fun, Fucker?" Peter laughed from the other end of the line.

I felt a growl escape from my chest at the knowing quality of his voice. "Is she why we're here? Not because of the newborns that are fuckin' with Seattle?" I kept my voice quiet enough so as not to wake Isabella, and again I wondered why the hell I cared.

At the sound of my growl, he shut up— smart of him. I was on edge enough; Pete provoking me would only give me an excuse to use a fight as a bit of stress relief.

"I didn't know until now, honest." He pouted, and I rolled my eyes. "But either way, I think there's more to it."

"What do ya mean?"

"I mean that we need to find out the who and why of this newborn army that's bein' thrown together— the leader is obviously very inexperienced. Damn, I bet this is what it woulda' looked like for the Bitch if she hadn't had you around." My growl was harsher this time as the memories started to come to the forefront of my mind. Bella shifted slightly and seemed to curl closer despite the sound that had been resonating from my chest. She was offering me comfort even in her sleep, and surprisingly, I was not turning it away.

"How many did you kill and how many were there in total?" I demanded after a short silence, needing to get some of the information straight in my head so that I could start forming a strategy of some kind.

"We got five, there were eight left before they got away." He finally came to his senses and was talking in a voice that meant business.

"By the escalatin' violence, we can only assume that they will be replaced quickly. Now that they know that someone's plannin' on endin' their little tirade, even more will most likely be changed in preparation for battle." My accent was getting heavier as the beast struggled to get out, wanting to take care of this little problem on its own. I ran a hand through my hair, pausing to get a hold of it. "We need more information, to know who we're up against." I finally agreed with him.

"D'ya want Char and I to go out an' try to get one for questionin' later?" He asked, though he seemed reluctant.

"Not tonight, you and Char go hunt and try to relax a little. I don't what you guys goin' back out for them without me there." There was so much authority in my tone that it left absolutely no room for argument, unless he wanted to lose an arm or two later for putting me in a bad mood.

"Yes sir," He said simply, "and have fun with the human, tell Sweat Pea I said 'howdy.'" I could practically hear the smug smile over the phone but the line cut off before I had time to respond.

I tossed the phone silently up and down in my right hand while my left arm was still securely around the girl. I was mulling over the information I had gained from Peter when I noticed the soft snores leaving her slightly parted lips and the pure serenity she radiated.

I had been beyond confused by her reaction to me.

From the first moment I had seen her in that alley just a few short hours ago, I had done little that would make a rational human trust me. I had practically pounced on her right then and there, and she had let me. I had no reason that she knew of to be holding her as I walked her home, yet she allowed me to do so. Hell, she had not even really seemed to care when I had stated that I would be spending the night here— and I would have even if she had objected. For some reason, it mattered to me if a newborn came in here and killed her.

Beyond that, humans are supposed to naturally shy away from vampires as a rule. I had always known that the girl had something wrong with her in that department, but I had simply thought that she had been overruling her baser instincts due to her fascination with our race. In sleep, however, there is nothing to keep the baser instincts from showing through— that is why I found it so strange that she could be curled up next to me in such a deep sleep that I wasn't sure what it would take to pull her back in to consciousness.

The longer I sat there enveloped in her delicious heat, the less I ever wanted to leave it.

However, the longer I sat there, the more time I had to come up with questions. What had Bella been doing since the Cullens left Forks? Had she gone to college? What was her job now? Then there were questions to aim at Pete. What was going on with the girl? Why was she so desensitized to the supernatural? Why did I feel the constant need to be around her, despite the fact that we had only been in contact with each other for going on six hours? Did he know anything else that he should tell me?

A few other thoughts occurred to me, such as the fact that I needed Isabella out of Seattle as soon as possible. Otherwise I most likely wouldn't leave her side, and seeing as how it was supposed to be sunny on Monday, I think it would cause a bit of a scene on her way to work. I didn't care if I had to drag her kicking and screaming, not when it came to her safety. If need be, I would assign Char as her guard dog until Pete and I had the whole situation under control.

My instincts told me it was more than a mere coincidence that a newborn army was being built in the same city that Bella currently resided. And I didn't like it.

The girl shifted in her sleep, bringing me out of my musings. I knew that I could easily drive myself insane if I didn't quite the strategy thinking soon.

Instead, I allowed her emotions to overcome me. Her deep seeded serenity mixed with little bits of contentment clued me in that if nothing else, she was having a pleasant dream. As the emotions slowly sunk in to my awareness, my muscles began to relax just as hers were. My eyelids began to droop and I allowed myself to bask in her feelings though I kept my senses trained on my surroundings, unable to force myself to trust them with the girl's life.

Slowly, I began retreating in to a near catatonic state— as close to sleep as any vampire could ever get. It was nice, peaceful.

Time began to pass more quickly without my notice. It must have been similar to how humans could go to sleep and wake up hours later with absolutely no clue as to what happened while they were out. The vulnerability was a bit unsettling and so, finally, I forced her emotions to the back of my mind where I usually perceived them. If nothing else, that had been the most serene three hours of my life.

I forced my eyes to open and focus easily on that small clock; it read 8:55. I could only hope that the seven hours of sleep she had managed to salvage would help her with catching up on the sleep that she obviously hadn't had a great amount of over the past could of days. Looking down at her once again, I couldn't help but to compare her appearance to that of an angel. Her pale skin made her red lips stand out remarkably and her long brown hair was cascaded down her rather petite frame.

Suddenly, I heard a soft knocking on the door of the entrance to the girl's apartment. Frowning, I slowly raised myself from the couch and slid a pillow under Isabella's head to replace my body. I wasn't quite ready to wake her up from such a peaceful state when in the one she would be returning to she would once again be faced with the dangers of being associated with vampires; even if she hadn't been in years.

Before pulling open the door, I caught the soft fragrance of a small human female. Her scent reminded me of the fact that I hadn't hunted the night before and I prepared myself before opening the door and facing the full force of her aroma. I needed to hunt; hopefully I could do so today while the sun was out, though I would still assign a guard dog.

When I did, she stared up at me with wide eyes and a blush slowly forming on her cheeks.

"I-is Bella here?" She stuttered slightly, the blush becoming more pronounced and beginning to make her resemble a tomato. I felt a small wave of lust from the girl and fought to keep from rolling my eyes.

"She's still asleep," I supplied stiffly.

Her jaw dropped slightly before we both froze at a sound coming from the living room.

"Jasper?" Bella's voice called, rough with sleep. I turned slightly so that I could see her when she rounded the corner in to the small hallway that connected the two areas. "What are you doing out he—" She cut herself off when she caught sight of who was standing on the other side of the door.

A soft rose colored blush dyed her cheeks; it was the most attractive sight I had ever laid my eyes upon.

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**A/N: So what did you think? Do you want me to switch point of view every once in a while or stick with Bella's? Please tell me in a REVIEW please :) For some reason, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. **


	6. Chapter Five

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Five

(Bella's Point of View)

My eyes went wide at the sight of Ashlyn standing outside the door. Fuck, I had forgotten about breakfast and it must have already reached the time of nine o'clock. I quickly shifted my eyes to Jasper, both relieved and panicked at the fact that his eyes had darkened to the point of their original color being unrecognizable. While it was a relief to see the vibrant red gone simply because it would mean one less question from my friend, it also meant that he was awfully thirsty.

The awkward silence seemed to drag on, both of them obviously waiting for me to break it. I was glancing between the two of them nervously, shifting my weight from foot to foot. Jasper looked amused by my discomfort though seemed like he was about to save me when someone beat him to it.

"Bella!" Ashlyn squeaked, a look of false betrayal on her face. "Just yesterday you propose to me, and now I find you with him?" She made a dramatic sweeping motion in Jasper's direction.

God, this is why I love this girl.

I noticed Jasper's shocked and confused expression as Ashlyn turned to wink at me so that he couldn't see. Thoroughly amused and relieved at her distraction, I followed along with her theatrics.

"It was a mistake, I swear it!" I responded, before falling to my knees in front of her; I was going overboard and I knew. But I didn't care, I was enjoying myself. "Please forgive me, my love!"

"Bella, I don't think I could ever trust you again." She shook her head sadly with a sigh.

"Fine, be that way." I said flippantly, standing back up and turning to walk in to the kitchen. I could feel Jasper's eyes following me and I could hear Ashlyn's feet padding along behind me.

I turned around and watched as Ashlyn walked past me, an amused smirk gracing her delicate features. Jasper moved forward as well and stopped about three feet in front of me.

"What the hell was that about?" He asked lowly so that Ashlyn wouldn't hear him.

I snickered softly, "That was a great friend saving me from an incredibly awkward situation." I sighed, "I forgot she asked me to catch breakfast with her this morning. You might want to go hunt, your eyes are pitch black," I paused, wondering if I should let him know the 'big news' I would be forced to discuss with Ashlyn for the next hour, but also wondering why he hadn't questioned the idea of us sleeping together which had obviously been insinuated by my friends comments.

I ran a tired hand down my face, "You realize that I am going to have to spend the rest of my morning being drilled by Ashlyn about last night." I groaned quietly and Jasper smirked at me, I could tell by the glint in his dark eyes that he knew I was talking about sex.

He leaned down, similarly to how he had last night in that alley, and ran his nose along my jaw until his lips were at my ear, "I'm sure you'll keep her thoroughly entertained, Darlin'."

My breath caught and my eyes flew up to meet his as he pulled back and he winked at me. He turned around and left my apartment. I tried not to think about the fact that I had basically just given him permission to go and drain a few innocent people— wait, not necessarily _innocent_, I reminded myself. I took a deep breath to steady myself before meeting Ashlyn where she was sitting at my kitchen table.

"Give me a second," I said, gesturing to my body which was still clad in my pajamas. I could hear her snickering behind my back and I couldn't help but to flick her off over my shoulder— that only made her laugh louder. When I finally looked presentable in my skinny jeans and converse, I returned to her at the table. I enjoyed the weekend, being free to dress in jeans as opposed to the dressy trousers I had to wear to work each day.

"Hey, you ready to go?" I asked, wanting to get in public before she could start her questioning rampage in the hopes that she would be forced to keep it PG.

She started to refuse, a large grin on her face, but before she could start in I grabbed her hand and began pulling.

"Hungry!" I complained, making her laugh and also forcing her to give in. I smiled to myself, finally leaving the apartment and leading her to the small café across the street. We sat down quickly at one of the small tables that were situated outside, taking advantage of the beautiful day.

"Hello, ladies. My name is Tyler and I will be serving you today. Do you know what you would like to order?" Having been here a million times, we both ordered quickly. Ashlyn asked for an egg white omelet and a large coffee, while I requested baked oatmeal and a bottle of water. I was still all coffee-ed out from the day before. Finally, we were left alone. My friend turned to me, a wicked smile gracing her features, and I shrunk back in my chair.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had some sexy man-god at your disposal, I would have stopped setting you up with guys months ago!" She just about shouted. For some reason, Ashlyn calling Jasper sexy hit some kind of nerve. I had to force myself not to glare at her. Was I really jealous when I didn't even have any kind of relationship with him? We had never had the brother-sister relationship that Emmett and I had once had, and beyond that, I didn't really know him at all.

"No," I shook my head, forcing out a light laugh. "It's honestly not like that. I just ran into him last night; I knew him back when I lived in Forks and—"

"— and you just so happened to invite him home with you and you guys had some wild sex?" She finished my sentence. That was not what I had been planning to say, and I told her as much.

"Oh, please Bella! Then what did happen? Did you two sleep together or not?" She sounded exasperated that I was even trying to suggest that I hadn't had sex with him the night before, even though I hadn't.

That, however, was a complicated question. While we hadn't slept together in the sense she was talking about, I was pretty sure somewhere throughout the night Jasper had ended up acting as my pillow— the best pillow I had ever been blessed to use.

"Uh, kind of?" I really wasn't sure how to answer her.

Ashlyn raised her eyebrows, wanting more information that I honestly didn't have.

"I slept wonderfully," I supplied dryly, letting her make of that what she would. I knew that she wouldn't take it for what it was— the actual fact that I had finally caught up on a few hours of sleep.

She beamed at me, before finally getting in to some easier questions.

"So what's mystery man's name?" she questioned.

"Jasper," I said simply. Now that he had left the Cullens, I couldn't be sure what his last name was. Originally I had known it to be Hale, but that had belonged to Rosalie and he had just been barrowing it.

"How old is he?"

I was pretty sure he had been changed when he was twenty, but instead I went with the age that I had known Jasper Hale to be.

"He's a year older than me; I met him in high school." I supplied just as breakfast was served, successfully distracting us from the conversation. I was thankful. As I watched Ashlyn begin to devour her omelet the feeling of being watched came back, though it was not nearly as bad as the last time. Previously I had felt like I was being stalked like prey, now I could just feel eyes on me. I sat up straighter and glanced around the street. I had been extremely tired last night and couldn't remember all that Jasper and I had talked about, though I was pretty sure we hadn't talked about much, I remembered something about newborns.

I was pretty sure that even a newborn wouldn't be dumb enough to try something in the daylight at a crowded café, but at the same time, they were known for being uncontrollable. Suddenly, I wished that I had never sent Jasper away to hunt. I wanted him back, I felt so protected when he was around. It was a feeling that I couldn't even explain to myself.

"Oooooh, are you daydreaming about Jasper?" Ashlyn inquired with a light laugh. I knew she was only joking so my only reply was a smile a roll of the eyes.

We were both finished with our meals a few moments later, and after paying our bill we stood up to leave.

"Don't think that this conversation is over, Missy. I still can't believe you cheated on me." She pouted, but I could tell by the tone of her voice that she had gotten it out of her system. She was done prying, and honestly, she had gone easy on me.

We both laughed before hugging our goodbye and walking in different directions. However, a second after she had turned, I had stopped to watch her retreating form. I wasn't sure what I would do if something happened to her, but I was pretty sure that in that moment I felt the same way Charlie used to when dropping me off at a friend's house; the intense need to watch your loved one make it to safety before abandoning them. When she finally made it to her car, she waved and then peeled out.

I sighed, still feeling uncomfortable about Jasper's absence, the slight tug in my abdomen that I had felt last night while trying to sleep, and now the terrible feeling of being watched, though it wasn't nearly as unpleasant as it had been the other day. I made it inside my apartment complex and as I was climbing the stairs to the sixth floor a god awful realization just about slapped me across the face.

The feeling hadn't disappeared upon my entrance to the apartment. My heart rate spiked and adrenaline pumped through my veins, pushing me up the flights of stairs faster in the hopes of out running the danger that was sure to be following me. I, of course, knew that not only would it be impossible to out run the vampire on my tail, but that my physical reaction was only serving to make my scent all the more alluring. I finally made it to the door to my apartment and looked around nervously as I searched for my keys. Eventually I found them located in my back pocket and clumsily tried to dislodge the lock. I busted through the door as soon as I had the chance, my breath leaving me in bursts.

I felt helpless, I felt alone, and I fucking hated it.

Glaring at nothing and feeling a little pathetic for freaking out when I really didn't even know if there was in fact a vampire following me, I slammed the door closed with as much power as I could muster up as I turned away.

I froze in place. The door hadn't banged against the door frame as it should have. I closed my eyes for just a second, taking a deep and calming breath, before turning on my heel to face whatever had stopped my door mid-slam.

All I could see were five unnaturally pale fingers curled around the edge of the thick wooden door. Slowly the owner of those fingers pushed the door open to reveal himself— standing at a height just an inch or so shorted than Jasper though built slightly thicker stood a red-eyed vampire. His short dirty blond hair did little to distract me from the crazy smirk that littered his lips.

"Well howdy there Sweet Pea!" The smirk morphed in to a giant grin.

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**A/N: Gee, wonder who that is ;) Please review and tell me what you think of this so far! Motivate me, my dear readers! Show Jasper and I a little love lol**


	7. Chapter Six

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Six

A small frown came to my face, all fear swiftly forgotten. He had the same exact accent as Jasper, I noticed. In fact, they looked rather similar, though this guy had this whole aura of whack job about him. I couldn't help it, the longer I stared at the vampire's face the more I felt my own lips twitching. Suddenly, a laugh ripped through me breaking the silence and therefore sounding a lot louder than it actually was.

"I don't even care if you came here to kill me," I gasped out between poorly contained cackles, "Who calls their next meal, 'Sweet Pea?'"

"Awe damn, Peter, you broke the human!" A petite female vampire came trotting through my door and smacked him on the back of the head. "What the hell did I miss?" She asked, I could tell that she wasn't actually upset but instead was thoroughly amused.

"I didn't do nothin', I swear!" Peter exclaimed, looking alarmed— which only proved to send me in to another round of hysterical giggles.

He frowned at me, apparently thinking that I was actually broken. He went to take a step towards me and the laughs died on my lips. I jerked back, narrowing my eyes at him and causing Peter to stop in his tracks. Both of their irises were a vibrant burgundy, which alerted me to the fact that at the very least they weren't newborns. That didn't make them any less dangerous, however. They could just as easily kill me and probably drag it out a little longer too.

"What do you want?" I asked lowly, because obviously they realized I that knew what they were. After all, I had just made a comment about being their next meal and they hadn't even blinked.

"Oh, don't ya worry, Sugar." The woman said, "We're here to serve as your watch dogs." She smirked and gave me a wink.

Watch dog? What the hell were they talking about? Looking back and forth between them, I sighed.

"Okay, Whack Jobs, what the hell are you two talking about?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, Peter had me caught up in a near bone crushing hug forcing all the air from my lungs.

"I knew we'd like ya, Sweet Pea!" He just about shouted and if I hadn't been in his arms he most likely would have been doing a bit of a happy dance. I had to force myself not to roll my eyes, though I also had to keep myself from grinning along with him. I could easily see myself getting along with these two vampires, but I still didn't really know their purpose for being here.

"Put me down," I gasped, "I can't breathe!"

"Shit, sorry." He dropped me and I just barely caught myself from falling to the floor.

I sent him a half hearted glare and he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"You almost really did break the human that time." I grumbled, getting a laugh from the both of them. "Okay, so you're my watch dogs, right? What does that mean? I don't have to play fetch with you or something, do I?"

"Not quite," Peter barked out a laugh— how ironic, but he didn't elaborate.

"Alright, pups, care to introduce yourselves then? You seem to know who I am." I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"My name is Charlotte Whitlock and this here is Peter," She gave me a sweet smile, her gorgeous face lighting up. "Friends and family call me Char, and now that includes you, Sugar."

"Why?" I asked, surprise coloring my voice and furrowing my brow.

"Can't tell ya that, Bella; ya gotta get there on your own." Peter grinned at me and I frowned.

"He ain't gonna tell ya, Sug. Don't waste your breath on 'im." Char chuckled and rolled her eyes, so obviously in love with her mate.

"Hey, my knower told me not to tell 'er." He grumbled.

"What do you mean, your 'knower'? Do you have a gift?" I asked curiously.

"Nah, I ain't got no gift. I just know shit." He said, as though that explanation made complete sense.

I sighed, how had my life which had been near vampire free for the past five years suddenly become saturated with them? First running in to Jasper last night, finding out about the newborns, and now these two whackos all showing up at random; I had thought I was finally done. Apparently I wasn't, and apparently I wouldn't be getting the reason for it out of whacko número uno. I turned to walk in to my living room, knowing that I needn't tell them to follow because I knew they wouldn't leave. I could not hear the two following but I knew that fact didn't mean much. After all, when could I hear if a vampire was following me?

I pointed at the couch, "Sit," I commanded and could help the smirk at the realization that I was treating them like the dogs they had said they were acting as. "Stay."

As I turned to walk in to my bedroom, I heard a dog bark and assumed that it was Peter. I laughed when I heard the resounding _whack_ that must have been Charlotte smacking him in the back of the head. _Go Char!_ I mentally cheered, chuckling to myself. Something about those two made it impossible not to like them. Finally, I went to my closet and pulled out my suitcase. Just because I was experiencing a vampire ambush didn't mean that I planned on ditching my weekend with Charlie. After pulling out a few pairs of jeans, a few shirts, and everything else I would need I turned to the bathroom to collect my toiletries.

Upon returning to my bedroom, I haphazardly stuffed in my belongings before forcing the zipper shut. It was already 10:30 and with traffic it would likely take me around four hours to make it to Charlie. I wanted to leave soon, but I knew that I still needed to talk to Peter and Charlotte.

Sighing, I returned to them with my luggage in tow seeing that they hadn't moved from where I had left them. Both of their eyes drifted over my bag and then landed on my face. I sat down on the loveseat across from the two of them, before finally just getting it out.

"So why are you two here?" I asked.

"We told ya, Sugar. We're watching you." Char replied, looking as though I should be wearing a helmet and riding the short bus.

I sighed, being taken in by a memory from the life I used to live. Back when the Cullens used to take turns 'Bella-Sitting'. My stomach churned uncomfortably and I shifted in my seat, my eyes falling to my hands. I wasn't going to let that shit happen again. I wasn't some broken doll, when I fall I get back up. I don't need help and I don't need someone to catch me. I was resilient. My eyes met theirs, a glare in place. They seemed surprised by my reaction.

"Why?" I hissed.

Peter was frowning; I guess his knower hadn't seen this coming. His head tilted to the side, obviously reading my face. I quickly ducked my head, but I could tell that he had already seen it. I wasn't just angry that I didn't know why they were watching me, I was angry that they thought I needed to be watched. I was angry that I was not strong enough to make them leave just like I hadn't been strong enough to make the Cullens stay all those years ago.

I shook my head, those emotions were old and reoccurring but I didn't actually feel them anymore. Actually, I was happy that they had left when they did. Edward's and my relationship had not been a healthy one and I was in far too deep. He had not loved me and I had never been his 'mate'. Quite frankly, I even realized that I hadn't been in love with him. I had been fascinated by someone who I couldn't understand and I had been dazzled to the point of insanity. Edward and I hadn't loved each other; it just took much longer than it should have for me to realize it.

"Well?" I asked, an eyebrow raised as I looked Peter in the eyes.

"Guess we should formally introduce ourselves, huh Char?" His eyes never left mine though he wasn't addressing me. She nodded from beside him. "How much do you know about Jasper's past?" He questioned me.

Well at least that answered why they all seemed to have the same southern twang. I thought back to the short conversation that I had once had with Edward about Jasper.

"I know that his vampire life didn't start out easy," I drew my eyebrows together; it seemed like forever since I had conversed with Edward. I had not allowed myself to think about him for so long that the memory seemed a little fuzzy. Suddenly, it cleared up and I remembered why the idea of a newborn army had felt so familiar. "Something about a newborn army in the south," I finally said, I couldn't elaborate because Edward never had.

"That would be correct," Charlotte said quietly, I noticed that they both stiffened slightly at them mention of an army.

"That's where we met Jasper," Peter supplied; it was odd to see someone who seemed to be so happy all the time so solemn. "He allowed me and Char to escape even though he would be punished for it. We came back for him years later and we've been a family ever since."

I wanted to ask more about Jasper's past, but I knew that I needed it straight from the horse's mouth. I would have to ask him some other time.

"So Jasper asked you to watch me?" I was no longer angry, but he was going to get a piece of my mind the next time I saw him. How dare he send to vampire I didn't know to watch me without even giving me a heads up.

"Yup," Char said with a grin, popping the _p_. "But we woulda' anyway, Sugar. You're family."

"That dick," I grumbled under my breath and the two of them busted out laughing. Suddenly something occurred to me; I now knew who had been watching me today, but what about yesterday? I didn't think it was Jasper, when I stopped him from draining that man he had not seemed to expect to see me in the city.

"Were you two watching me yesterday, too?" I asked, a frown adorning my lips.

"No. Why do ya ask, Sweet Pea?" Pete said, a similar frown stealing his smile along with Char's.

"When I was at breakfast today I had felt like someone was watching me. Now I know it was you, but yesterday I went to lunch and I could feel myself being stalked." A small chill ran the course of my spine. "When I looked around, I didn't see anyone but that's not too surprising considering that there are vampires in the area." I paused, looking between the two of them. I could see the fury in their eyes and shifted uncomfortably, a little surprised that I felt no fear of them. "Do you think the newborns are stalking me?" I whispered.

There was a loud crash behind me and I jumped up, spinning around quickly. I noticed that neither of the vampires behind me had moved an inch. The door to my apartment had been torn from its hinges and was lying on the ground surrounded by the dust from the drywall.

Jasper was suddenly standing there, and for the first time since he had left that morning, that small tugging sensation disappeared and I felt content. My eyes met his and I was shocked by the amount of anger in them. They were pitch-black, though no longer with thirst. The flames dancing behind them were those of rage. He came storming forward and grabbed Peter by the collar of his shirt. Both he and Char had taken on submissive positions.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He hissed.

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**A/N: Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did you never want it to end? Let me know in a review my dear readers and Jasper-obsessers! **


	8. Chapter Seven

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Seven

"Jasper, wait!" I said, grabbing his arm that had pinned Peter against my living room wall when he had denied knowing that the newborns were after me. Peter's eyes looked at me, wide with worry; though I could tell that the concern was not for himself but for me. He thought that I was about to get myself killed and I wasn't sure if he was too far off. However, for some reason I couldn't bring myself to believe that Jasper would ever try to hurt me. I tugged a little on his arm and he slowly turned his head towards me.

His expression softened slightly when his eye met mine, though he still didn't allow me to tug his arm away from Peter.

"Come on, Peter's _knower_ probably just isn't working right," I mocked Peter lightly, he looked like he wanted to growl but was smart enough not to push his luck with the position he was currently in. "But look at him, are you really that surprised?" I asked with big, innocent eyes. I heard Charlotte trying to choke back a laugh behind me and saw Peter's annoyed expression, but what I focused on were the two eyes right in front of me which were slowing fading back from black to burgundy.

Finally, he released Peter and pulled me to his chest. His face buried in the crook of my neck, I felt him take a deep breath as his muscles slowly relaxed. I wasn't too sure what was going on or why Jasper was so upset about the fact that a few more vampires wanted to kill me, but suddenly I wondered if he had been feeling the strange tugging in his stomach all day, too. I sighed as his scent invaded my senses and decided to give up on thinking for now. Someone else could do it for me because all I wanted was to relax in the bliss that was Jasper. His strong muscles and long body that seemed to be able to envelope me in the most comforting embrace I had ever felt.

My eyes fell closed and my forehead leaned against his shoulder, completely at ease with the world. He nuzzled slightly closer and suddenly I felt his lips lightly brush against my neck, earning him a gasp from my lips.

Suddenly we heard Charlotte clear her throat awkwardly and I remembered that there were two others in the room with us. I started to pull away and felt Jasper sigh before he did the same. Charlotte was standing in front of Peter a little protectively and I could see the look of amused love on his face at his little hellcat before him. Soon we had all returned to the seats we had taken before Jasper had returned, awkwardness saturating the air.

Pete and Char returned to the couch and Jasper took the place next to me on the loveseat. For some unexplainable reason, I felt the need to either sit on his lap or curl in to his side. Sensing my internal debate, he turned towards me.

Jasper smirked at me.

I stuck out my tongue.

He raised his eyebrow.

I shrugged.

Our silent conversation was loudly interrupted by Peter and Charlotte's laughter, a look of both adoration and awe in their eyes.

"Whack Jobs," I muttered under my breath, fully aware that they all would be able to hear me and earning a light chuckle out of Jasper. "Okay," I finally sighed once the laughs had died down. "What now?"

The atmosphere immediately darkened, Jasper stiffened at my side and he and Peter's eyes met across the room.

"Nothing changes," Jasper's voice was menacing, threatening. "We find out who is creating them and why they seem to want you. Then we get rid of them." The last was spoken emotionlessly.

I looked around at them curiously, "Why do you guys even care if they want to kill me?" I asked. "Why would you risk your lives?"

Charlotte looked annoyed, standing up and striding quickly across the open space and crouching down in front of me. "How many times do we gotta' tell ya, Sugar?"

I sighed, already knowing what she was going to say. "Why?" I grumbled before getting up and pacing around my adjoining dining room. "Why am I suddenly _family_?" I noticed Jasper's surprised look, though I couldn't tell if it was because of the fact that I had mentioned being called part of his family, or if it was because of the venom behind the word. "The last vampire _family_ I had, left me royally screwed over." I felt a small chill as I remembered some of what had happened while they were gone, "I refuse to have to deal with the aftermath again." I growled.

"What happened after we left, Bella?" Jasper asked quietly.

I turned to look at him, noticing the guilty look dancing over his features. I didn't want him to feel bad; it had never been his fault. When he had lunged at me, his eyes hadn't even been dark. I was pretty sure that Edward had been the only true danger at that time and it had passed my mind that Jasper could have been lunging at Edward as opposed to trying to catch a quick meal.

"Don't do that, Jasper," I whispered, shaking my head gently. I walked over to him and placed my hand against his check, surprised when I noticed that it wasn't the same smooth texture I was used to. I chose not to question it. "It wasn't you fault, your eyes weren't even black— not like Edwards."

"What happened?" He reiterated his question.

"I'm not going to tell you that," I whispered, remembering the look that had came to Jacob's face when I had told him the news. I hadn't needed a shoulder to cry on and a voice to comfort me, not someone to feel bad for me— just someone to make me feel better. Stiffly, I added, "I don't like pity, and I won't put up with it."

He frowned, worry clouding his eyes. He was wondering what could have affected me so harshly and no doubt blaming himself.

"And if I see one more guilty look from you, Jasper, I swear to god I am going to snap."

I stood up and walked over to my baggage before grabbing the keys to my truck and my wallet. Before I could make it out the door, I was stopped by Jasper's voice.

"Where are you going?" He asked from right behind me. He seemed to have managed to erase the guilt from his face though the concern remained. I was content with that, so long as he didn't think that what had happened was his fault.

"I'm visiting Charlie," I said simply.

He seemed to think for a moment, deciding if that was a good idea. I hope he realized that no matter what he said, it didn't change the fact that I was going home. Charlie was all I had left and I had been gone for too long.

"I'll meet you there," He finally nodded. For some reason, I was relieved by that. Just the thought of leaving was bringing back that bizarre feeling in the pit of my stomach. He relieved me of my bag before starting out the door, obviously expecting me to follow. I paused; turning around to shoot a wave at Peter and Char who both still seemed a little shaken and all I could hope was that Peter didn't tell about what had happened if his _knower_ were to alert him to it. They both offered small smiles, seemingly unsure how to react to my little outburst.

"See you soon, Sweet Pea." Peter said quietly. I nodded.

I finally returned to following Jasper out to the garage and my truck, seeing him leaning against the door to my monster. He had already put my bag in the back seat and had been waiting for me. I realized as I reached him that somehow time had been flying by and it was almost noon. I could speed the whole way and be lucky if I made it to Charlie's by quarter 'til four. Looking up in to his vibrant eyes, I noticed that the red coloring seemed to be swirling rhythmically. For whatever reason, my stomach wasn't churning as it probably should have been at the knowledge of the fact that only human blood caused such a glow.

I wondered if human blood also made vampires appear more attractive, because I had never truly noticed much of Jasper when I had been with the Cullens. Then again, I had never felt this strange attraction to James, Victoria, or even Char and Peter. I had a feeling that my lack of perception of Jasper's beauty had a whole lot to do with Edward and Alice.

"You know you can't ride in the truck with me, Jasper." I whispered— a small smile on my face at the internal debate I could see flashing across his face. "My windows are not tinted and I believe that you may attract a good bit of attention."

He nodded his head in agreement though he seemed a little peeved. I am not sure what possessed me to do so, but I crossed the few steps between us and wrapped my arms around his waist. He didn't hesitate as his arms circled me and I took comfort in how perfectly my head seemed to fit in to the crook of his neck. Eventually, we parted our embrace and he opened the door to my truck for me and allowed me to crawl in.

"What time will I see you?" I asked quietly through my open widow. I had been so excited to go home and see Charlie, but suddenly I didn't want to be without Jasper. I was growing strangely attached to him despite the fact that I had only been back in contact with him for a day. I knew that was wrong, that I was being pulled back in to a world that was only going to leave me broken but I couldn't seem to get away. What I felt around Jasper was so much different from what I had ever felt before no matter who I was with. It was so far beyond fascination, beyond curiosity, and beyond infatuation. It was a physical need in the pit of my stomach that I simply couldn't understand, and I found that terrifying.

"I want to do some more looking around the city before I head to Forks, but I will be there as soon as you are. I am going to have Pete and Char follow you home. I don't like that the newborns have taken an interest in you." His voice was cold and steely, all business.

I nodded before part of what he had said sunk in. He was having Peter and Charlotte watch me again; at least I knew this time.

"Jasper," I said, the tone of my voice snapping him out of whatever trance he had fallen in to. "Don't you _ever_ have vampires that I do not know come to my apartment without giving me a heads up. Not when I just found out that there are newborns around and not without you there."

"I'm sorry, Darlin'. I didn't have time to tell ya and I wasn't about to leave ya alone." He paused and an exasperate look came to his face, "I told them not to approach ya, but Pete's knower told him that he could without me killin' 'im."

I couldn't help my slight chuckle at that.

"Quite the family you got there," I said with a grin. The comment brought me back to what Charlotte kept telling me, that I was now part of their family. What did she mean by that?

Jasper nodded his head in agreement, an indulgent smile forming on his lips and it nearly took my breath away.

Before I could say my short term goodbye and peel out, Jasper grasped my chin gently and placed the lightest kiss to the corner of my mouth. It affected me more than any kiss I had ever had the experience of receiving. It was light and fleeting, but it was filled with more emotion than I had ever experienced from another.

He pulled back slowly, a soft smile turning the corners of his lips. My cheeks were heated and I was pretty sure my heart had skipped a few beats. He took a few steps back from my truck, his smile growing slightly when I just continued to stare at him in a tiny bit of a daze.

"Have a nice drive, Darlin'."

"Thanks," I whispered as I forced myself awake and pulled out before leaving the parking garage. I was finally on my way to Forks, finally on my way to Charlie.

_Charlie. _

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**A/N: Hope you liked this! Please tell me what you think in a review. Ask questions, make comments, do whatever floats your boat. Thank you my lovelies! **


	9. Chapter Eight

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Eight

I was grinning like a mad woman and I knew it. If someone saw me from their car window, they would likely think I had recently broken out of the loony bin. But, hey, I was beginning to feel that way. With three vampires suddenly walking back in to my life and realizing that a bunch of newborns were chasing my tail, I couldn't imagine who wouldn't feel that way. Not to mention the strange feeling in my stomach; I was beginning to wonder if I had eaten something bad or if maybe I was getting the flu. Todd had been out of work for a week and a half not too long ago due to that sickness. However, the feeling had begun to travel up into my chest and that had me a little worried.

I wasn't dwelling on it though, far too excited to be seeing Charlie after so many months. Finally I would be getting back to something normal. I couldn't help but wonder briefly if I should be worried that my definition of normal included seeing all my wolf friends. It didn't really matter, I supposed, I was happy just to do it whether it was usual or not.

_Welcome to Forks, Washington. _

I couldn't help but to grin even wider at the sign. I was a mere twenty minutes away from home.

Finally, I gave in and picked up my cell phone. If I didn't want to deal with a fight between Jasper, Peter, and Charlotte and the wolves, I needed to let them know that I had company.

"Hey Bella," Paul sounded a little out of breath as he answered on the fifth ring, right before I was about to give up and try Embry.

"Everything okay Paul?" I asked a little worried.

"Yeah, yeah; everything's fine, Bells— just a few stray bloodsuckers here and there."

Fuck, I really couldn't get away from it, could I?

"That's actually why I'm calling." I sighed, "I'm on my way in to town, and—"

"How close are you?" I was abruptly cut off.

"Like twenty minutes, why?" I was surprised by his tone, he sounded worried. I didn't like hearing that with everything else that had been going on.

"I'm running a wide perimeter now, pull over and I'll meet you."

At least that explained the fact that he was a little out of breath, he had probably had to phase just to answer his phone. I looked around quickly; I had just pulled off the highway and saw a deserted, almost completely hidden park. Who would want a park in Forks? It was always down pouring. I rolled my eyes because no one would ever go to a place like this to have a picnic.

"I just got to a little park, meet me there." I finally agreed, but soon realized that I had yet to mention the three vampires that were also on their way and very much not puppy chow. "Wait, I needed to tell you that—"

"See you in a few, Bells!" Paul shouted in my ear.

The prick cut me off again.

I hadn't been able to give him any kind of warning.

_Shit._

"Wait!" I yelled, just as the line went dead. I glared at my phone for a moment and then quickly hit redial as I turned in to the park's parking lot. Five rings, six rings, and finally the answering machine clicked on and I cursed as I slammed my thumb down on the end button; that obnoxious prick.

A knock sounded against my window and I jumped slightly as my head swung around and I locked eyes with a vampire. I motioned with my hand for Peter to back up before pushing the door open and jumping out, smiling softly as the mud squished noisily beneath my feet. I had not expected to miss something so trivial.

"Why'd ya stop, Sweet Pea? Somethin' wrong?" Peter questioned, concern laced his words.

"Shouldn't you know?" I asked curiously, "I thought you're gift would have told you."

"I ain't sure what you're talkin' about, Bella. I don't have no gift." He looked at me as if I had grown another head. I returned the stare with one that clearly stated what I estimated his IQ to be.

"What do you mean? What about your 'knower'?" I asked, surprised.

"Nah, that ain't a gift, Sweet Pea! I just know shit." He chuckled like that was the most obvious answer in the world, and I had a feeling that Peter thought he was being very clear— which he most certainly was not.

"Whatever," I muttered, deciding not to push it. Besides, there were more pressing issues such as the impending werewolf attack. I couldn't help but to chuckle at myself because it sounded quite ridiculous to me. "Paul's on his way," I finally offered as an answer to the question about why I had pulled over. Somewhere in my mind I noticed with relief that the tugging sensation in my chest was slowly dwindling.

Charlotte appeared from the nearby forest and walked out; they were sharing the same confused expressions that clearly asked who the fuck I was talking about.

"Paul is a—"

What the fuck is it with him and interrupting me today? Damn it, he was going to get a piece of my mind. What did I have to do? Start squirting him with a water bottle? Perhaps I could swat him with a rolled up newspaper? He was the most untrained dog that had ever existed.

His roar cut through the empty swatch of land I had decided to hold this little shindig in. I wasn't surprised that he had decided to stay in wolf form, seeing as how I was standing with two red eyed vampires. Both of whom had taken up defensive crouches in front of me, shielding me from an attack they apparently didn't realized was aimed at them as opposed to at the lowly human girl they planned on defending.

Before I could really comprehend it, Paul had pounced forward, rushing Charlotte as though she were the weak link out of the duo. For some reason I couldn't bring myself to believe that— actually, they both seemed equally as lethal. Char caught him mid leap, her hands catching him in the chest and she tossed him back at the tree line. I knew what would be coming next; the mind link in the wolves would alert all the others and soon enough we would be surrounded by the whole pack.

I wouldn't be able to deal with the thought of losing either of the two vampires who were standing in front of me; somehow they had managed to rather quickly carve out a place in my heart. They were just so loveable. The idea of losing any more of the wolves made my heart sink and I began to feel a little woozy. I had to end this now before it got really serious.

I was just about to step forward when two more wolves appeared on either side of Paul's hulking form. He had been pacing back and forth at the edge of the forest, obviously looking for any sign of weakness that he could use to his advantage. I kept trying to catch his eyes to communicate to him that there was no danger since I seemed unable to find my voice and just shout it.

Seth and Leah took his flanks immediately and again Paul took the initiative and stalked forward. Their eyes were twitching between the two in front of me and I knew that if they pounced, when they pounced, not everyone would make it out in one piece.

"No," I finally spoke, but the word was a mere whisper on the wind. It was as if my vocal cords had dried up and nothing was working as it should have been.

It all happened very quickly. All three pounced, Seth was headed for Peter and Leah obviously planned on taking on Charlotte. Paul, on the other hand, was headed directly for me. I was sure it would be attempted as a rescue mission, but I wasn't so confident that it would work out as one.

Mid air, there was a loud crashing noise as suddenly something appeared behind Paul. The figure grabbed the gigantic dog by the scruff of his neck and pulled him to the ground, affectively saving me from possibly being trampled. Simultaneously, the other two wolves fell to the ground at Peter and Char's feet. I heard weak cries from them and I couldn't help but to gasp in shock.

Finally, I managed to concentrate and look past the scene before me and to the cause of it all. Standing above Paul, his hand still holding the loose skin between the pup's shoulder blades, was Jasper.

I was shocked beyond belief, he had moved so quickly my eyes had been unable to follow the movement to the point that he had flat out disappeared. I had once seen Edward move at his fastest, but even he had appeared simply as a blur. Edward was supposed to be the fastest, but how would that be possible when I had just seen what had played out right before my eyes?

I snapped out of it at a slightly louder pained whine that came from the sandy colored wolf, Seth.

"Whatever you are doing to them, stop." I whispered and right away the cries ceased, though they did not rise. They just lay there, trembling slightly.

I looked towards Jasper, hoping to catch his gaze, but he was still glowering down at the wolf in his grasp. I walked up to them quickly, Peter reached out as if he were about to try and stop me but he retracted his arm at my glare; smart of him, because I was pissed.

"Put him down," I muttered when I reached Jasper, finally catching his attention. I could see the reluctance in his red eyes but eventually he gave in.

Paul sagged to the ground in a heap, but only for a second. As soon as he gained his bearings he popped up to his feet and again looked as if he were about to make a go for Jasper. I swear some dogs never learn their lesson. Just as Jasper was about to intervene and before he could grab me and pull me away from the beast, I reached up and smacked Paul on the nose.

That seemed to stun more than just Paul, as Jasper also stopped is his tracks and a small smirk seemed to be twitching the corners of his full lips.

"You prick!" I shouted at Paul, I was furious. "When I call you, you listen to what I have to say and you do not interrupt me every chance you get!" I noticed that his eyes had drifted and he had returned to glowering at Jasper. I did the obvious thing in once again smacking him, making him wince. "Eyes right here, mister!" I hissed.

"She's scolding the wolf!" I heard Peter giggling maniacally behind my back, sounding a wee bit like a first grader.

"If you would have just let me fucking _talk_ none of this shit would have happened! I would have been able to tell you that I had a few vampires with me and we could have gone on our merry way." I was fuming. "Go change," I hissed and pointed towards the tree line.

With a final growl in the vampires' direction, Paul turned and ran off with his tail between his legs. Slowly, almost groggily, the other two rose and wobbled their way off behind him. Maybe once they were back in human form we could have an actual conversation about what was going on.

Maybe Paul would actually let me talk so there wouldn't be any more misunderstandings.

"Fuck, yeah!" Peter screamed as I turned on my heel and began making my way back to my truck. "Bella's a badass!"

I rolled my eyes.

Jasper came up beside me and silently placed his arm around my waist. As opposed to shaking it off as I probably should have and he likely expected, I leaned in to his embrace. I was exhausted. On top of four hours straight of driving, I had just told off a wolf that was more than five times my size. He pulled me in to his side and allowed us both to lean against my truck, though admittedly, I was leaning more on him than anything else. As his leather and hay scent invaded my senses, I closed my eyes in pure bliss.

The tugging in my stomach and chest had evaporated, replaced with a warm feeling of content.

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**A/N: This was my second try at chapter 8, so I hope you liked the bit of action and drama I threw in there! Let me know what you think, I can't tell if it came across the way I wanted it to. Please review, lovers!**


	10. Chapter Nine

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Nine

(Jasper's Point of View)

With Bella leaning back against me and emanating the most amazing cocktail of contentment, relaxation, and just a bit of lust, I couldn't help but to feel truly happy for the first time in what had to be years. Despite the fact that I had just needed to end a fight with three wolves and that easily should have scared the hell out of her, she seemed unfazed— other than being pissed about being interrupted and tearing the wolf a new one. I didn't like the wolves, though I didn't harbor the same hatred for them that Edward had. Bella trusted them unconditionally; I could feel it in her emotions. Not once during the little skirmish had she had any worry for her own safety, only when she was looking at the wolves or at Pete and Char did she feel that specific emotion. She had been worried that they would hurt each other.

I couldn't help but to be curious as to just what they had done to earn her trust or why they felt so protective of her, but I planned on finding out. I needed to know everything that had happened since we had left; what had caused her to grow a backbone and what had happened to make her who she was.

I needed to know what had made her choose to move to Seattle as opposed to back to Arizona or wherever it was that her mother resided. As far as I knew, she hated the rain and the cold.

I was thankful that the god awful pulling had subsided now that the girl was in my arms. I could almost feel myself being pulled in half as I had been catching up and as soon as there had been even a hint of danger to her, I had sprinted. I knew what it all meant, I wasn't clueless. I had felt this between Pete and Char and even between Emmett and Rosalie.

I shook my head slowly; I wouldn't force the idea on Bella. She had finally gotten away from all the vampires and I didn't really think she wanted to deal with more.

I was brought out of my musings when the now human man broke the tree line. He was glaring at me hard, his eyes lingering on my arm which was still holding Bella at my side. He was angry that we were here, but if Bella wanted to visit her dad then she was going to. He couldn't get me to leave, not with the threat hanging over the girl's head.

"What are you doing here, bloodsucker?" He hissed just as the other two stepped out from behind the tree trunks. Before I could utter a response six other wolves broke their heads out of the tree line, showing that we were out numbered. I smirked at him; if he wanted a fight I was willing to offer one, just not in front of Bella. It had been a while since I had been able to battle it out with anyone other than Peter, and if any serious damage had been done Charlotte would have my ass. I could feel my monster vibrating with excitement at the possibility of violence, nothing thrilled him more. My only hope would be that Bella left before anything happened, I wasn't sure that she could deal with that kind of gore while human.

"Just escortin' a lady home," I drawled, bringing a nasty snort out of the wolf who Bella had informed us was named Paul and a chuckle out of Bella herself.

"What do you want from her?" The younger man, a boy really, asked. I could tell by the taste of his emotions that he had been the wolf with fur the color of sand.

What did I want from Bella? A whole fucking lot. She did things that surprised me, made me question myself about things I wouldn't otherwise, made me feel; though I didn't really have an answer to that question that I was willing to share with a dog. More importantly was what I wanted _for_ Bella. I needed her safe, happy, near me.

"What makes you think I want something from the girl?" I decided to answer his question with one of my own.

"We can see your eyes, you're a murderer." Paul just continued to glare.

"Well I have to agree with you there," I conceded, shocking them and Bella. They didn't need to know the specifics of how Peter, Charlotte, and I hunted though I knew that I would need to tell Bella soon enough. I only gave her a slight idea of what kind of people we hunted, she seemed to accept that well enough but she had been half asleep at the time of our conversation. I wasn't even sure she remembered it all. "But that doesn't mean that I view every human as a meal."

Before the conversation could go any further, Bella finally spoke up.

"Who were the vampires that were in the area?" Bella spoke directly to Paul, straightening as she did so. She was no longer leaning against me, but she stayed by my side and my arm remained around her. I could feel her reluctance to move and it was something that we shared. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Peter and Char eyeing us with knowing grins. The fucker did indeed bring me here for the girl, and not just to save her.

I thought back to my run over, I had noticed a few stay scents but they had been at least a week old. They were none I recognized so they were either nomads I had yet to come across or more newborns. I didn't like it no matter their age, their scent screamed human drinker and therefore they were a threat to Bella.

"We don't know who they were," Paul grumbled, obviously not liking to have to give the facts to more than just the girl. I didn't care, this could be important information. "The first time there were four of them, we got the three but one seemed more experienced and ran off. We were tracking him but lost him at the ocean. He has been back a few times since, always bringing with other newborns and we always get those, but he never sticks around long enough for us to get close to him."

I could feel his annoyance at not being able to catch the fucker, but my mind was already elsewhere. It was a scouting party, a commonly used strategy down south. Send some newborns with a more experienced fighter to survey your enemy, always allowing the newborns to be used as a shield so that when the slightly older vampire returned, he could share the news. Fuck, this all had to do with Bella.

"A scouting party," I muttered and both Peter and Char nodded in agreement, scowls on their faces. Neither of them had been lying when they had claimed that Bella was a part of the family, they loved her like a sister. I could feel through the girl's constantly swirling vortex of emotions that the feeling was mutual. I knew that she would truly be a part of our small coven eventually.

"A what?" Bella asked right away, and I quickly explained that they were checking out the area for weaknesses.

"Did they come near Charlie?" She bristled next to me, turning to stare at the wolf pack.

"We didn't let them," Paul said, trying to comfort her. He didn't though, and I knew what she had heard out of that sentence. They had tried.

"Why didn't you fucking call and tell me?" She yelled at him, while we had been talking the wolves had slowly closed the distance between us and were now only a few yards away though we were still by her truck. She took a step forward, looking as though she were going to hit him in the nose again.

"Then what, huh, Bells? You would have come speeding over here from Seattle, trying to figure out a way to fix this when in reality there was nothing you could do. You are only human! You would have gotten yourself killed!" He yelled back just as angrily, and I growled darkly at him in warning. I didn't like him raising his voice at the girl.

Paul shrunk back slightly at the sound of my growl, having been caught off guard. I didn't fucking care. He probably wasn't used to the sound of a real vampire's growl, having only had to fight newborns and having the occasional run in with the veggies. The other wolves took cautious steps forward, prepared to defend the man if something were to happen. They wouldn't have a chance. He just continued to stare at me, wide eyed, as Bella turned away from him and returned to my side. That surprised me most; she was a mere human, she should have been terrified. Instead, she placed her small, warm palm on the side of my face and slowly my growls faded away.

I turned my head to face her and I noticed her soft smile. I could only imagine what could be running through her mind as she was feeling no fear at all.

"I am going to see my father now." She said as she turned her head back to the wolves. "I haven't seen him in months and I miss him. Not to mention he knew I was coming today and he'll probably put out a 'Missing Persons' add if I don't show up soon."

"What about the bloodsuckers?" Paul hissed, hatred making the atmosphere feel heavy.

Bella glanced at me before turning in Peter and Charlotte's direction. "They'll stay here for now." She waited a moment to hear an objection from one of us but didn't get one. Apparently we were all in agreement. "They will stay near my house and go nowhere near Quileute territory."

"We can't let them hunt here, Bella." He replied stiffly.

"Now don't ya worry your big, furry brains about that." Peter said, a huge smirk littering his features. "We got plenty on the way over, we should be good 'til we leave town."

I chuckled softly at him. I knew what he was doing; rubbing it in the mutts' faces the loss of human life because there was nothing they could do about it. I watched as Paul started shaking slightly and knew he was close to phasing. Thankfully Peter was done and hopefully was could avoid this particular battle altogether.

"Paul," The girl said his name sharply, snapping him out of it. Then, she turned towards us. "If you step out of line for even a second while you're in Forks, we will kill you. We don't make many exceptions so be thankful that we are letting you walk away now. Do not overstay your welcome." Her voice was icier than our skin.

"Yes, ma'am!" Charlotte crowed from beside Peter and I snorted softly. It was hard for them to stay quiet for as long as they had and now they were letting in out. She ran to the side of Bella's truck and pulled open the passenger door. "File in!" She shouted playfully and Bella knew that she was the one whom the commands were directed at. She let out a small chuckle as she trotted over to Char's side. Just before she climbed in, she turned towards Paul one last time.

"I'm going to stop by the Rez tomorrow so we can talk." She paused and watched as Paul's eyes hardened. He was radiating betrayal to the point that I nearly shivered. She could see that he was about to refuse, so instead she cut his off with an apology. "I'm sorry."

She looked away and crawled in the passenger seat. I was positioned in the driver's side moments later and was pulling out and heading in the direction of Charlie's. I looked back and just barely saw the blurs behind the tree line where Pete and Char were tailing us. She was silent the rest of the drive and I couldn't help but to feel guilty that we may have just ended her friendship with the wolves, whether I liked them or not.

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**A/N: I thought I would give you another small look in to Jasper's mind. Review if you liked it, if you didn't, or if you have a question. Either way, do it! Show Jasper and I some love!**


	11. Chapter Ten - Last - Up For Adoption

Seattle Nights

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series, all I own is the plot and a few original characters.

Chapter Ten

(Bella's Point of View)

It had been forever since a vampire had last driven my truck. I couldn't help but to chuckle when it made a slight wheezing noise as he started to reach sixty miles an hour. Vampires were more accustomed to a faster speed than my old hunk of metal could handle and they always seemed to want to push its limits. I didn't really care; the faster Jasper drove the faster I would arrive at Charlie's.

"How long has it been since you've been back here?" Jasper asked as he allowed the truck to slow to fifty where it was more capable of driving without the risk of falling to pieces.

"A few months," My foot started tapping rapidly against the ground, a habit I picked up when I was being impatient. Jasper reached over and placed his hand on my thigh, stilling the movement and squeezing slightly. I gasped as I felt flames ignite within my skin and heat pool between my thighs at the simple touch.

"Darlin', if ya don't calm down your gonna get me as wound up as you are." Jasper's voice was gruff as he said this, and I had a feeling he was talking about more than just my anticipation. I could see his eyes darkening slightly and I took a deep breath, trying to reign in my excited emotions of more than one kind.

A few moments later, before I had to think up a response, we pulled up to the house. Out of impulse, I turned towards the vampire who drove me home and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself to him in a hug seeing as how he was much too strong for me to be able to pull him to me.

"Thank you for keeping them from fighting," I whispered against his chest, referring to Peter, Char, and the wolves. I was amazed at his strength, his speed, and his skill but I was sure it had to do with his past and I wasn't ready to start that conversation yet. I knew that if I asked him to delve in to such a personal subject, then I would have to do the same. I wasn't willing to do that quite yet; I didn't want him to feel guilty when it wasn't his fault and I didn't want anyone's pity, either. "I don't know what I would have done if anyone got hurt because of me."

Jasper splayed his large hands over my hips and with one swift tugging motion I suddenly was in his lap, straddling him. I gasped at our close proximity as heat shot to my center. Jasper pulled me softly against his chest and I nearly moaned at the tingling sensation his every touch elicited. Excitement coursed through my body and it most certainly had nothing to do with being outside my father's house; in fact, I suddenly wanted to be anywhere else. I had never felt such need to be with a man before. His eyes were a pitch black vortex, swirling erratically, and I watched as they flickered from my eyes to my lips and back again.

I licked my lips in anticipation, remembering the teasing brush of his lips to the corner of my mouth earlier that day. What would he taste like? Would his lips be gentle or rough against mine? Would it be chaste or deep and passionate? I was betting on the latter, everything about this man screamed passion and sex. I wondered if I should have been scared, but I just couldn't quite bring myself to care as much as I likely should have.

I watched with rapt attention as he began his slow descent to my lips, watching my eyes for any sign of refusal. He would find none. I felt as his thumbs slipped just past the hem of my shirt and traced along my hip. His skin had a surprising rough quality, as though his hands had been extremely calloused with work during his human days and the change had not gotten rid of all the remnants. It made the feeling even more erotic.

Finally his lips were on mine and I gasped slightly as a shiver of pure desire rolled down my back. He took advantage and allowed his tongue to pass through and enter my mouth. I moaned softly at the feeling, his cool tongue stroking mine and bringing it to life. Our tongues danced and I felt as my fingers curled in to his soft, chin length, waving blond hair and tugged roughly. I felt him smirk in to the kiss and suck my bottom lip between his teeth; he tugged softly, careful not to break the skin.

His right hand slowly trailed itself up my shirt, stopping just below my breast. His delicious thumb traced just underneath the bottom edge of my bra before finally palming me over the fabric. I was a little irritated that the undergarment was still in the way, wanting to know if the rest of his hand was just as rough as his thumb. It was so irregular for a vampire not to be perfect that I found myself craving that aspect of him even more. I gasped when I felt him gently tweak my nipple through the material.

Pure heat rushed through my core and I couldn't help but to buck my hips against him, craving friction as my arousal rose. He groaned at my action and suddenly I felt the hand that remained at my hip tighten slightly. He readjusted me and suddenly I felt his large member rubbing against my sex through both layers of denim separating us. I moaned loudly and threw my head back, needing air as I was overcome with the pleasure that little bit of friction brought with it.

I was panting hard, my chest rising and falling erratically as I continued to grind down into him. He pressed his lips to where my neck met my shoulder in an open mouth kiss, sucking slightly. He growled as I kept adding pressure to where our cores were connected and I gasped as it vibrated through me, my panties getting more moist by the second. He nipped down my neck and soothed the marks with his cool tongue. I groaned, needing more of him.

He seemed to agree as soon I felt his left hand making its way to the buttons on my jeans while his right hand continued to massage my breast. Sheer exhilaration coursed through my veins at the idea of being with Jasper so intimately. He pulled away from my neck to look me deeply in the eyes. His were black fire, dancing with lust and I was sure the same emotion was shining bright in my own eyes.

A smirk formed on his lips and I felt as he popped the button on my jeans.

A knock sounded on the door to my truck and my eyes popped wide as I was broken out of the lust filled bubble that had formed around us. Somehow I had forgotten where we were and that while the road wasn't a busy one and the rain obstructed any view of the inside of my truck, we certainly were not in private. Neither of us jumped away from each other like we likely should have, though. The only movement made was Jasper's hands moving back to my hips as opposed to my breast and my jeans. It was as though some invisible force left us glued together, quite literally attached at the hip.

Jasper growled again, this time out of annoyance instead of lust. I preferred the latter.

As another knock sounded, Jasper finally reacted. He pulled me closer to his chest before turning slightly so that he was facing more towards the window. He shifted me so that I managed to remain on his lap while still being hidden by his broad shoulder. He was hiding me from the intruder, protecting me. Finally Jasper rolled down the window and Peter came face to face with the glares of both Jasper and I— though I had to strain my neck slightly in order to see around him.

"Well, lookie here. Major, her glare's just as ferocious as yours!" Peter hooted with a loud laugh, but my mind snagged on what he called Jasper. Why had Pete called Jasper Major? Jasper growled at him, obviously not liking being interrupted.

Peter raised his hands in a sign of surrender and took a step back from the truck.

"Hey, now don't go givin' me that look. Sweet Pea's Daddy is gonna notice Bella's truck here in about a minute and a half. When she doesn't come in, he's gonna come out. If I hadn't stopped ya'll now, what d'ya think Papa Bear woulda' walked in on?" Peter was smirking by the end of his little speach, no doubt pleased with himself for saving us from that awful situation.

Jasper sighed as Peter turned and walked back to the tree line, likely to reunite with Charlotte. I was still in his lap when I heard a noise close to the house and my head snapped in its direction— I noticed that Jasper had already turned to face it. Charlie had just opened the front door and was peering out curiously. Luckily, it was down pouring rather hard, even for Forks. He stayed under the safety of the roof; at least, for now. I scurried, grabbing my bag and about to jump out of the door when I felt Jasper grab my hips and pull me back to him. I yelped quietly, not expecting the action.

"Calm down, Darlin'," Jasper whispered against my neck, my back to his chest. "Charlie can't see us through the rain." I sighed quietly in relief, not knowing how I would have explained the presence of a Cullen to my father when he had watched me fall apart at their departure.

"Good, then I should get going before he decides to investigate." I muttered impatiently. He was a cop, he would and likely sooner rather than later.

"Think about what you were about to do, Isabella." Jasper whispered against my skin, his lips just barely brushing my neck and making me shiver with want. Usually I hated the used of my full name, but upon hearing it fall from his lips I felt heat flooding the space between my legs with a vengeance. It made me want to curl into him and never leave— perhaps offer myself up to him on a platter. "You were about to jump out of the passenger side door."

I nodded my head dumbly. I was a little lost in the very essence of Jasper and unwilling to bring myself back to reality.

"Don't ya think your Daddy woulda' been a bit suspicious as to who was drivin' if you got out of the passenger door instead of the driver's side door?"

I finally pulled myself to the surface and looked past the sensation of his lips on my neck to absorb the actual meaning of his word. I couldn't help but to laugh lightly, because he was right. I was so lost in our activities that I wasn't even thinking straight, and sadly I could no longer chalk it up to exhaustion. I turned in his lap so that I was back to straddling him again, careful not to let myself brush him in such an intimate manner with the possibility of being walked in on lurking off to the side.

"Look, I'm only human. How can I be expected to think straight with the likes of you sitting in my truck?" I asked, forcing my voice to sound as though I were truly agitated. I knew he would see through it, being an empathy and all. However, that didn't make the idea of messing with him any less appealing.

I watched as he tried to decipher what I had meant by that, obviously not knowing if it was a complement or an insult. He frowned though he didn't look offended. I supposed it could be taken either way depending on just what it was keeping me so distracted. But looking back on our activities of just moment ago, it shouldn't have been too hard to figure out.

I threw him a wink and a grin, restraining myself against a kiss on the cheek knowing that if I did I would never leave the cab of my truck. I opened the driver's side door and climbed over him before slamming the door shut behind me. I knew that he would sneak to the tree line as soon as Charlie had disappeared inside the house.

Finally I came in to view of my father. "Bells! What took you so long in there? Trying to make me dinner without a stove?" He shouted over to me with a rough laugh.

I grinned at him, making my way to the front door and squinting through the rain. "Hey, if I had been, you would've eaten it and you would've liked it!" I replied in kind with a snigger of my own.

When I reached him he wrapped me in a warm hug, making me drop my bag as I reached around and patted his back.

"You're probably right on the money there," He grinned down at me, giving me another squeeze. I smiled right on back, I had missed my father even more than I realized.

One stray thought lingered in the back of my mind as I felt Jasper's eyes on me from the truck: Why was I suddenly feeling so attracted to Jasper, when I had never felt that way in my time with the Cullens?

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**A/N: Am I a bitch for teasing you just a bit? I'm sorry, but I refuse to have their first time in a car. Don't hate me, but even if you do, I'll still love you anyway. It's one of those 'kill them with kindess' type deals ;)**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the almost-smut I stuffed in this chapter. I would love to know what you think :) **

**If sex is called a lemon, would that be considered a grape? **

**IMPORTANT**

**So this is where I left it. If you are up for finishing it, please send me a message to let me know! This will not be updated again on this profile but by whoever chooses to adopt it. **

**Send me a private message if you are willing to adopt and I will tell you where I was planning to go with this fic so you have an idea. You can change almost anything you want, but some things I've already hinted towards so those you'll have to keep.**

**If you want this finished but are not interested in doing so, maybe send a message to your favorite author and tell them to give it a look-see? **

**I truly hope you like this so far :) But no, I have no plans on continuing this myself. Sorry :/ I already had these chapters written, hence the super fast updates.**


	12. Update: ADOPTED BY KATANDJASPER

Update (3/27/13): Great News!

Seattle Nights has officially been adopted by katandjasper! Go check out her profile and say hi :)

She is working on her own stories and betas, so give her some time to work out my plot and to get in the flow. I know she is going to make this story amazing and I am so glad to have a talented writer finish this!

I don't know how long it will be until she gets a new chapter out, but at least you know where to look for one.

Go show her some love!

Katandjasper is going to make Seattle Nights as amazing as it should be.


	13. Just Letting You Know

Hi :) I just wanted to let you all know that I am actually writing for a different fandom (One Direction) now so if you want to check out my current works, you can find me here...

tumblr: puzzlinglarry dot tumblr dot com

and here at AO3: archiveofourown dot org/users/PuzzlingApproach

Don't give me shitty comments for switching fandoms, I used to dislike them too until I gave them a chance. If your interested, just go to youtube and watch some of their video diaries from being on X Factor. The whole fandom is made up of two sides: Extremely homophobic or pro equality. I happen to be the latter.

I hope if you do check out my current writing, which is honestly so much better than anything I've ever posted on here, please feel free to leave a comment telling me what you think! Let me know if you found me through this because I think that'd be really cool :) Like we're old friends or summat haha

Okay, I'll leave you alone now. Love you all, goodbye twilight fandom, and feel free to either explore a new fandom or completely ignore this message.

P.S. If I get anything homophobic in these comments about One Direction, you are really stupid and need to realize we are in 2013. Saying something is 'unnatural' is like saying you shouldn't drive a car because god gave us legs, not wheels. If god hated homosexuals so much, they simply wouldn't exist. Get off your high horse and realize that you are the weird ones, not them.

**If these links don't work for you and you want a 'click on link' go to my profile, it will be the first thing you see :)**

**MOST IMPORTANTLY~ If you send me a message on here, I will not reply. Go to my blog and click MSSG (if you cannot find that, add /ask to the end of the url) and send me a message :) I will respond as soon as possible and it can be about anything. If you do not have a tumblr, you can still send a message. It will be anonymous and you'll have to watch my blog for a response. But you _will_ get a response, promise!**


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